Mubarak's condition worsens

June 11, 2012

CAIRO: Hosni Mubarak is slipping in and out of consciousness eight days after the ousted Egyptian leader was sent to prison to begin serving a life sentence, a security official said.

With rumours of the former president's death spreading rapidly, authorities granted his wife, former first lady Suzanne Mubarak, and the couple's two daughters-in-law special permission to visit him in Cairo's Torah prison early yesterday morning.

''The former president's health is in decline but now it's stable in its deteriorated state,'' the official said.

Advertisement: Story continues below

Since his wife's visit, Mubarak has suffered from an irregular heartbeat and required assistance in breathing.

The official said the former president now lives only on liquids and yoghurt. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Mubarak's health is reported to have collapsed since his June 2 conviction for failing to stop the killing of protesters during the uprising that overthrew him last year.

His life sentence saw him transferred immediately to a prison hospital, instead of the military hospital and other facilities where he had been held since his April 2011 arrest.

Authorities have turned down several requests by the Mubarak family to transfer the ousted president back to a military facility, the official said.

On Saturday, Mubarak's wife was denied access to the Intensive Care Unit where he was placed, as authorities limit family visits to one a month.

According to security officials quoted by al-Masry al-Youm daily, Mrs Mubarak lashed out at wardens for not giving her husband permission to seek treatment outside the prison.

''You will be responsible for his death,'' she allegedly said.

Mubarak's two sons Alaa and Gamal are also being held.

Associated Press